


Warm

by Sharedo



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, M/M, Pre-Slash, gaara realizes he died, kazekage rescue arc, naruto helps gaara sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:20:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25948750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharedo/pseuds/Sharedo
Summary: That's how he ended up staying in Gaara's room for the night and not coming back to their team's. They put two futons on the floor and laid down. Gaara was clearly uncomfortable about the idea of sleeping.
Relationships: Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 15
Kudos: 212





	Warm

"Are you cold?"

"I… suppose. I've never experienced this before."

"Hmm… Maybe you didn't feel cold because of Shukaku? I don't really ever feel cold, and I’ve never even got ill before. Ero-sennin says it's because of Kyuubi's chakra mixing with mine and keeping me warm."

"This has merit. I feel like I'll need to get accustomed to a lot of things in the coming days."

It was the night after their return to Suna with Kazekage safe and alive and Chiyo dead. The burial was performed in the evening, most of the village came to say their goodbyes to the elder who gave her life to bring the Kazekage back. They decided to stay the night and rest before a journey back to Konoha, Kakashi-sensei really needed it.

Naruto put another set of clothing on, left his bag in their room and went to seek out Gaara, they had a lot to catch up to. They ended up talking long into the night. It was very nice. Gaara was happy to see him and was interested in all his stories about his training trip. Naruto, in turn, pestered his friend with questions about his new life.

That's how he ended up staying in Gaara's room for the night and not coming back to their team's. They put two futons on the floor and laid down. Gaara was clearly uncomfortable about the idea of sleeping. They continued talking after that.

Gaara shivered again. He was hugging himself, trying to keep warm but it didn't help much. Nights in Suna were really cold, he found out, and having just futons and thin blankets in his room wasn't the best idea, it seems.

Naruto stood up. He walked closer and knelt down.

"That's it. Budge over."

Gaara in confusion obeyed. Naruto raised the blanket and laid down next to him.

"I should be warm enough for the two of us!" he smiled widely. They were lying on their sides, face to face. Still smiling, Naruto gently put a hand on his shoulder. It was indeed very warm. "Is that okay?"

Gaara nodded and couldn't stop from shivering again, getting accustomed to the change in temperature. Naruto frowned and moved closer. He could feel the touch on his fingers.

"Give me your hands."

Gaara obeyed again, still silent at a sudden show of… caring? No one has ever been this close to him. Naruto took the offered palms in his, brought them to his mouth and blew warm air on their entwined fingers. He could feel not only his hands but his cheeks getting warmer as well. It was a strange but pleasant feeling. Naruto started rubbing his hands and occasionally blowing on them again. Gaara could only watch as his captured palms were getting warmed up. His heart ached from the tenderness of the moment. Naruto glanced up at him.

"Better?"

Gaara nodded again, eyes wide with wonder. His hands were still captured in his friend's bigger and rougher ones. He liked the touch.

Naruto smiled. "Great! Now to the rest of you."

Before Gaara could blink, Naruto's right hand was hugging him closer. His forehead was softly pressed into the other's chest. His mind has gone blank, pure silence reigned there for the first time since his birth.

"Feel warmer?"

Naruto asked a question. It took a few seconds to process his words, but finally, he managed a nod. His answer was felt and accepted. Naruto's left hand squeezed his palms between them.

"Man, these hugs are definitely nice but sure difficult! I don't know what to do with my other hand." He moved it around for emphasis. It probably wasn't comfortable. He couldn’t know, his mind was still trying to process what was happening right now. Naruto was hugging him. He was pressed into a very warm body, and it felt incredible. His face was on fire.

"Oh! Lift your head for a bit."

Apparently, all Gaara could do that night was to obey Naruto’s words silently. He glanced up at Naruto. He was still smiling at him. His left arm was gently pressing on the top of his head. Gaara raised it in the air letting Naruto's hand pass under it. He hesitantly rested his head back on it.

"Well, that's much better. Hope I will still feel my hand in the morning. Are you okay?" Naruto was watching him with worry in his eyes, concerned about his prolonged silence.

"Yes," Gaara finally replied quietly. He took a minute to collect his thoughts. "I have never… been hugged until now. It is a new feeling."

Naruto grinned even wider. "Then you'll have to get accustomed to this too! From now on I will give you hugs whenever possible, that's a promise, dattebayo!"

Gaara could do nothing but smile too. "I look forward to it."

In answer, Naruto hugged him even closer. This time Gaara's face was pressed into his friend's neck. His cold nose twitched against the warm skin. He took a deep breath. It was all very warm, and nice, and Gaara could lay there forever if it meant Naruto hugging him like that. His palms rested on his friend's chest and squeezed the fabric of his shirt. He buried his face even deeper into Naruto's neck.

Suddenly, it all came to him. Akatsuki's attack on the village, his capture and then unending agony of Shukaku's extraction. He _died_ there in the air with the last drops of chakra leaving him. His body was _dead_ when it hit the floor. It was his _cold_ and _lifeless_ body Naruto carried to the field. He vaguely remembered dreaming and being alone and crying, and there was no one to notice his pain. Until he felt Naruto's hand on his shoulder and was suddenly so very alive he could barely breathe. There were others around, all coming to save _him_ , crying and shouting and being happy that he came back to them. The elder Chiyo, proud and indifferent old hag, gave her life to save _him_. People of Suna welcomed him back. He finally felt so loved and needed, he achieved his dream.

It was all too much, and he was overwhelmed and was coming undone right in his friend's arms. Tears were pouring out of him, knowing no end. He was crying for all sixteen years of his life and couldn't stop. Naruto's shirt was quickly getting wet, but he just hugged him tighter. He could feel an arm on his back moving, trying to comfort him. Another hand was in his hair, gently ruffling it. Naruto was whispering something, but he couldn't recognise the words. It felt so nice. He squeezed his eyes shut.

When, an eternity later, he ran out of tears, he felt hollow but somehow lighter. Like all this time he carried a mountain on his shoulders, and it finally disappeared. Naruto's shirt was wet. Gaara moved away a bit.

"Sorry for getting your shirt wet."

"No problem." Gaara finally looked at him. Naruto caught his glance and smiled at him. "It will dry off by morning anyway. Do you feel better?"

"You sure ask that a lot today," Gaara tried to joke. "But don't worry. I feel better. Lighter than before. Is that supposed to happen?"

His friend took a corner of the blanket and pressed it to his cheeks, then his eyes, drying off the wet spots. Gaara felt embarrassed, and his cheeks were too warm again. After he finished, Naruto put a hand back on its place.

"That is definitely supposed to happen, so it's good that you finally cried. I was afraid that you would continue burying all your feelings and not allowing yourself to cry. And I can't stop worrying about you. It's my job, after all. To worry about you."

Naruto ruffled his hair. Gaara wanted to be hugged tightly again but was stopped by the sight of wet and probably cold fabric.

"On a side note, that shirt is definitely wet. I should probably take it off."

Gaara raised his head and let him go. Naruto freed himself from the shirt and threw it towards his futon. Then he wrapped his arms around him again, and Gaara was pressed against a bare chest. His fingers touched a strange necklace. He glanced up at Naruto.

"I didn't know you wear jewellery. It is very beautiful."

Naruto looked down on it and smiled warmly. "It's a gift from Tsunade-baachan, it originally belonged to the Shodai, her grandfather. She believed that I would become Hokage one day and gave it to me. Whenever I feel down or lonely, I look at it and remember why I'm here. That I have precious people who care about me and believe in me. It helps."

They laid like that for a while, Gaara listening to the heartbeat near his ear and under his fingers, and Naruto stroking his hair. Gaara felt at peace. He closed his eyes.

"Hey, I should get you something too," Naruto whispered. "For when you feel down and lonely and not believing that all you've accomplished is real. So that you could remember me and that I'll always be by your side no matter the distance, dattebayo."

Gaara was startled awake. He looked up at Naruto. "You don't have to. I think of you always anyway." But the idea sounded very good. He had a photo of his siblings in his office, but he had nothing of his dearest friend.

Naruto was surprised by this comment and grinned. "Of course I have to, dattebayo! I only need to come up with what to gift. I'll think of something by the morning, don't worry!"

Gaara sighed but was smiling. There was no point in arguing with Naruto, he learnt that long ago.

"Alright."

It was the middle of the night, and Naruto's team will be heading out back to Konoha in the morning. He really needed to rest before the journey.

"So how do we fall asleep?"

"That's easy! Just relax, close your eyes, imagine something nice and don't resist it when you feel tired and heavy. Before you know it, you'll be asleep and having nice and silly dreams."

"Nice and silly?"

"Nice and silly! No nightmares on my watch."

"You should sleep too. After all, it's you who is going to run for two days to Konoha. I wouldn't want you to be tired because of me."

"I will rest, but only after you fall asleep, so you'd better start imagining something nice already if you're so worried about me."

Gaara thought about that. "I think I hardly need to imagine anything when you are here with me."

Naruto smiled at that and ruffled his hair. "I guess you're right. Good night."

"Good night."

He concentrated on Naruto's heartbeat, and before he knew it, he was sound asleep. 

Gaara dreamt about Konoha. He and Naruto were sitting on Hokage's mountain on one of the Youndaime's hair spikes. The village was quiet and beautiful before the sunrise. They were talking about toads, Naruto insisting that they had claws and tails and that he would know better. Gaara told him that it was wrong, but he couldn't quite remember what toads looked like either, just that they had smoking pipes.

He was gently returned to the waking world by Naruto. He opened his eyes. They were still heavy. He closed them back.

"Oi, Gaara, good morning! Time to get up."

Gaara pulled the blanket up and hid under it. He snuggled closer to the warm body. His nose was cold. There was a sigh.

"I guess you liked sleeping then. We can stay for a few more minutes, but after that, I'll have to get going, sorry."

Naruto stayed with him for a little while longer but then was forced to get up. Gaara pulled his head from under the blanket.

"You can use my bathroom, there are spare towels."

"Oh, thanks."

Five minutes later, he returned. By that time Gaara was finally wide awake to use the bathroom too. Everyone in Suna was used to wash quickly. He expected to find his room empty when he entered it, but Naruto was still there, his orange jacket in his hands. He turned to the sound, smiled at him and walked closer.

“How was your sleep?”

Gaara smiled too, details of his dream escaped him, but he still remembered the gist of it.

“My dream was nice and silly as you promised. We were sitting on Hokage’s mountain and talking about toads.”

Naruto laughed. “That’s good. By the way, it’s my favourite place in Konoha! When you visit next time, we should take some ramen and sit there. It’ll be amazing!” He fumbled with his jacket, suddenly nervous. “I’ve been thinking of what to gift to you and couldn’t think of anything better, so…”

The orange jacket was put on his shoulders.

"There. Now a part of me will always be with you! And it's an awesome jacket too!"


End file.
